Saudi- Schools face loss of foreign drivers

(MENAFN- Arab News)  The crackdown on illegal workers in the Kingdom has taken its toll on the private school transportation system, with families facing the prospect of finding alternative means of transport for their children. The vice principal of a school in Jeddah, who did not want her name mentioned, said: "The crackdown on illegal workers is a big threat to the school transportation system because almost all school drivers are not under the sponsorship of the schools." "I hope the king will consider all this and extend the grace period because three months is not enough to change anything. But I think the matter is not going to be as bad as we expect it to be, at least as far as schools are concerned." She said her school has around 30 to 40 drivers but they are not sponsored by the school. "Visas are not being issued to hire these drivers legally. So I'm sure there must be some kind of consideration in this matter." The vice principal said the school may hold off on making decisions until after July 3 to see if the government would really crack down on these workers. "The only thing I would request is an extension of the grace period since they are not willing to provide any visas to drivers." Many expatriates have jobs that require them to work full-time at night and part-time as school bus drivers during the day so that they can support their families. Lubna Ahmed, a teacher at a private school in Jeddah, knows a few drivers who have been affected by the new labor laws. Ahmed was not willing to mention anything about the new labor law's effect on the school transportation system but commented on the crackdown as a whole. If the government wants expatriates to leave the country, it needs to give them exit visas, says Ahmed. "Putting these expats into a state of instability and insecurity is simply terrible. The government needs to ease the pressure on these expats and accept the required papers to finalize their status, instead of making them run from office to office ..." Meanwhile, a number of private school bus drivers said they are not planning to go to work after July 3, because they fear arrest and deportation. A recent report said that several international schools have taken steps to transfer the sponsorship of some of their drivers and have already issued letters to their sponsors.